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What are Dental Sealants and Why are They Important for Your Child’s Dental Care?

When children start brushing and flossing their own teeth, there’s always the risk that they won’t be cleaning their teeth well enough to avoid tooth decay. Finding out that your child has cavities and needs fillings or other dental work isn’t much fun. Fortunately, there’s a way to help protect your child’s teeth, minimizing the likelihood of cavities forming: dental sealants.

Cavities and tooth decay happen when the good bacteria that lives in our mouths is exposed to the sugar we consume. That mixture leads to acids that can attack and dissolve the normally strong surface of our teeth. While limiting sugars in the foods and beverages we consume, and being diligent about brushing and flossing our teeth are important ways to fight tooth decay, it can still occur, despite our best efforts. This can be particularly true for children – here’s why: the surface of the tooth is usually pitted and grooved. For children, cleaning those grooves and pits is difficult, if not impossible.

Some parents make the mistake of thinking that there’s no need to maintain their children’s baby teeth, because they’re going to lose them anyway. However, there’s never a guarantee about when those baby teeth will fall out. As anyone who has ever had a cavity can attest, they’re no fun, and can sometimes be incredibly painful. No parent ever wants to see their child in pain. Besides discomfort, decayed baby teeth can also lead to infections, abscesses, and the decay can spread to your child’s permanent teeth.

Here’s where dental sealants come into play, saving parents everywhere: Dental sealants are made of smooth plastic that your dentist bonds onto your child’s teeth, making the surface of each tooth flatter and therefore easier to clean. This, in turn, can reduce the chance of your child developing cavities. While there’s no way to completely avoid the risk of cavities and tooth decay, dental sealants offer parents and their children an easy, quick and inexpensive way to protect their teeth and lower their risk.

Schedule Your Child’s Appointment Today!

Preventive dental care and orthodontics should be a regular part of your child’s life, but it shouldn’t come with stress or fear. At FUNtastic Dental, we are proud to provide an experience that’s both pain-free and anxiety-free. Our experienced pediatric dentists have completed specialty training and love working with children. By making a trip to the dentist a fun, relaxed environment, you’re helping establish good dental hygiene habits from an early age.

To learn more about dental sealants and the other services we offer, and to make sure your child is on the right track to have a beautiful smile for a lifetime, contact FUNtastic Dental in Long Beach, CA today online or by calling (562) 912-2007.